C5 2.7T Reliability

[kaleb.anderson]

Looking at an allroad with a 2.7 in it. been primarily looking at 1.8's and 2.0's
The 2.7 obviously a larger engine with twin turbos, haven't heard much on reliability, guessing it's not great
what do you guys (and gals) know?

[m_haiser]

reliability on the 2.7t depends entirely on how well its been taken care of. if it was well taken care of its not bad, might have an oil leak or something sneak up on you.
on the other hand if it was neglected it can have a slew of things that need attention. just depends on your knowledge of the platform, your technical capability, and your bank account (especially if fixing yourself isn't an option)

[kaleb.anderson]

Okay, well i guess a better way to phrase it would be what are the most common issues you've seen with this engine?

[jbain2]

Reliability is no different than an other engine. Problem with the 2.7 is there’s no space in the bay so most work requires either service position or an engine pull. Great power plants in my opinion. Now had a couple. Been through a 1.8, built 2.0, a swapped 2.7 in a B7 and a 3.0T. The 2.7 motor keeps bringing me back.


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[AR-77]

I love the 2.7t but if I could do it all over 1.8/2.0 manual.

[mattlqx]

Having just been deep into my 181k mile 2005 Allroad I can tell you a few weak spots of this one. I bought this with a broken radiator in the summer, I've yet to drive it anywhere substantial.

The car cosmetically has held up, but...

- Timing belt was done within the last few years, but water pump gasket started to leak a steady stream when hot. This probably allowed steam pressure to build in the system and cracked the end of the radiator. That was how I bought it from the prior owner.
- The water pump inside surface were pretty groddy (rusty). I'm guessing they didn't flush the system when the timing belt/water pump service was last done. That probably allowed contaminates to eat at the gasket.
- Trying to get the old radiator connections off was futile. The plastic connectors totally fused with the plastic radiator end caps over time. So those associated hoses needed replaced along with the new radiator.

While I've been correcting all that business...

- The power steering lines running to the cooling loop were cracking and starting to seep ever so slightly. Replaced those, they weren't too expensive, but getting those hoses hooked up to the rack (which sits between two firewalls and *above* the downpipes) was a royal pain in the butt.
- Any and all vacuum lines, particularly if they're the hard plastic kind are super brittle. I ended up replacing the PCV hose (which is a big tee contraption) and ended up breaking a vacuum line that runs into the driver side fender. Not clear on where that even goes, but I was able to couple it back together.
- Most electrical connectors in the engine bay are pretty brittle. Particularly the ignition coil pack connectors. Being extremely gentle with them to pry the lock back to slide them off the coil packs, I still managed to break 3 or 4 of them. And the inner part of the connector separated from the outer part just freeing them. So I had to re-wire new plugs for each cylinder on the driver side. So just the act of disassembling pieces of the engine bay to repair others will create more problems and more repairs. I wish a new harness was more cost feasible but at $1500, it's just not.
- There were a number of coolant hoses that were swollen and deformed to the point of not getting a good seal again if they had to be removed and put back on. So I probably replaced 4 or 5 small pieces of hose.
- I went preventative at this point and replaced the failure prone after-run coolant pump with a new unit and replaced as many of those hoses as possible.

My car is probably an extreme example of what can go wrong in the engine bay in the desert of an already very hot running twin-turbo engine, but it's an endless barrage of small plastic/rubber part replacement on this 13 year old car.

Aside from all that, if you keep up with replacing the timing belt every 60k or so. It can probably last for a long time engine wise. I'm wondering how long this tiptronic is going to last on it though or how long until those turbos are going to need rebuilt. I have no actual cause for concern either of those things right now, but it's in the back of my mind on a car that's pretty close to 200k miles.

[disrepos]

Any and all vacuum lines, particularly if they're the hard plastic kind are super brittle. I ended up replacing the PCV hose (which is a big tee contraption) and ended up breaking a vacuum line that runs into the driver side fender. Not clear on where that even goes, but I was able to couple it back together.

Goes to the "Vacuum Reservoir" or technically the reservoir that holds NOTHING! Not even air.

Two reliability issues to consider on older 2.7T engines are:
1. The stock turbos. If they are starting to go, they will go. If not, good maintenance should keep them going as long as the engine itself.
2. The Cam Chain Tensioners. The pads will wear out, so check for wear on the next timing job or leaky valve cover gasket replacement.

Pretty good other than that so long as you do the timing/waterpump and other normal preventative maintenance and hoses/wiring stuff as mattlqx listed.

You should also consider the transmission issues that will happen. the 1-2 syncros tend to crap out on the manual, and the torque converter seal tends to go out on the auto. I am convinced that if someone were to have actually changed out the tiptronic transmission fluid every 50k miles, that wouldn't be and issue, but that would be an incredibly rare thing since Audi lists the trans fluid as lifetime in the manuals.

Another something to consider when looking at an older 2.7t cars is... don't worry about any of that if you plan to bump up your power level with bigger turbos. Just rebuild everything when you do the turbo install and you have a brand new car that will last at least another 100k at the higher power levels so long as you don't do something silly.

[4xaudi]

I pulled the engine on my allroad at 195k miles.Being the third owner didn't have a lot of maintenance information.One of the turbos had a seized wastegate, replaced all the hoses and lines seals and gaskets on the top side of the engine. Didnt even crack the oil pan off the engine. Upgraded to K04 turbos, injectors, intercoolers, maf and tune. Its been about 50k miles and the only problem is I blew out one of the cam plugs. Trying to hold off until the spring before I do the timing belt.

[Audiostg3]

To the OP - These cars are not known for their stellar reliability and one should expect a decent sized slush fund for regular repairs.

I think all issues mentioned so far have affected my 03 AR. A couple additional ones not mentioned include: 1) the stock air springs which tend to fail about every 5 or 6 years, 2) Control arms, 3) CV joints. Air springs can be replaced with a coil over system or aftermarket Arnott shocks last a bit longer than stock and have lifetime warranty. For Control arms and CV joints expect some type of repair or replacement every 50k miles or maybe longer if you are a dainty driver.

These cars are amazing when they work, but they are fickle creatures and sometimes even appear to be temperamental with malice towards your wallet. I have had a love-hate relationship with mine for 16 years now and almost got rid of it 6 years ago after an expensive year with $11k in repairs. But I love the way it looks and drives (at least when not driving to the mechanic for repairs). Also, no one makes a full size wagon in America anymore and most new cars seem cheaply made. So I persevered to make this one of the last gas powered vehicles I own and to re-create my old wagon into a stage 3 sleeper once the K03 turbos blew a couple years ago.